How to Extract Iron From Sand

There's a Lot of Iron in Sand

Have you ever wondered how to extract iron from sand? Extracting iron from sand is a great physics experiment for children of all ages. Learn to extract iron for use in chemistry experiments or just for fun. Follow these instructions and you'll have fun and witness real life science at the same time.

Things You'll Need

• Magnet
• Plastic lunch bag
• Paper plate
• Dirt, sand and soil

Instructions

Magnet Experiments

1. Fill a bowl with sand. Any old garden soil, beach sand or sandbox sand will do. You might want to gather several different kinds of soil and compare the textures, colors and other qualities.

2. Place your magnet into the plastic bag. Seal it up tightly and hold it above the sand at a distance of 1 inch. Lower it slowly and you might see teeny flecks of iron jumping up onto the magnet. Pressing the magnet down into the sand will yield long strings of iron flecks.

3. Bring your magnet, bag and iron to a paper plate and remove the magnet from the plastic very carefully. As you pull the magnet away from the plastic, the iron will no longer cling to it and will fall onto the paper plate. You can use these iron flecks in a chemistry experiment or make your own magna doodle craft.

Tips & Warnings

• If your magnet gets "dirty" with iron, you can clean it by covering a stronger magnet with plastic and using it to remove the iron from the original magnet.

• Whenever you're doing magnet experiments, warn children to keep magnets away from televisions, telephones and computers.